Cheney students taste some new foods

Salnave Associated Student Body vice president Dylan Straley hands a student a plate containing samples of whole-wheat pita bread, hummus and mangos, with treasurer Madilynn Richardson waiting in the background to hand out more as part of the district’s taste testing program. Also helping out were ASB president Maisie Short and secretary Kassie Brennan.

So far the consensus among Cheney elementary school students is that when it comes to new foods, raw garbanzo beans ain’t making it.

At least that’s the results of a taste testing program school district officials have implemented this year, thanks to a grant from the national organization, Action for Healthy Kids. The district received $2,000 per school – Betz, Salnave, Windsor and Sunset – to bring quarterly samples of foods to students they might not normally experience at home.

The grant also enabled district wellness coordinator Laura Martin to enlist a couple of high school st...